Why Every Copywriter Must Learn to Become Fluent in "Google" Or Risk Going The Way of the 8-Track Tape Player

The numbers were flying fast and furious on Monday at a Media Conference in New York sponsored by USB investment bank.

One widely reported statistic is very noteworthy:

Steve King, CEO of Zenith Optimedia, London, predicted that online advertising around the world would grow by a mind-boggling 24 percent next year. Print advertising, said King, will increase by a paltry 3.8 percent during the same period.

24% annual growth is more than 6 times 3.8% annual growth.

Never mind that print advertising as a whole dwarfs online advertising, expenditure-wise, at this moment.

Newspaper and magazine publishers are HURTING... and bad... because so many ad dollars are traveling from ink, to pixels. 

$22.4 billion buying Web ads next year, according to King.

So, the Internet is growing over 6 times faster in ad dollars around the world than the printing press.

So what?

Here's what:  Most of it is going to Google, and Yahoo. And as a copywriter, you've GOT to become fluent in Google and Yahoo if you want to stay in business... stay ahead of the curve... or, if you are employed by an advertiser or an agency, get that corner office.

Advertising on Google is fundamentally different from everything else in that you have very little space ... 25 characters the first line, 35 characters the second line, and 35 the third... to get attention, create comprehension, inspire desire, and foment action.

That's quite a tall order in such a short space.

Let's look at a hypothetical GOOD Google AdWords ad, and a BAD one.

Since this originally appeared in the World Copywriting Newsletter, we'll stick to the subject at hand:

GOOD (first one)

Hot Copywriter Secrets
Learn Insider Tricks to Boost
Response and Increase Ad Profits
www.world-copywriting-institute.com

BAD (second one)

Cheeky. Brutal. Ironic
On Those Hard-to-Wake-Up Days,
Starbucks Ain't Got Nothin On Us
www.world-copywriting-institute.com

As you can see, I would make an excellent mediocre copywriter at a typical non-accountable ad agency.  (Meaning, they aren't accountable for their results... because... they're building branding and that takes a long time.)

You would draw that conclusion, I guess, from the second ad.

The first one really sucks... UNLESS you happen to be a copywriter or an entrepreneur looking to get better results from your own advertising.

Then, it hits you right between the eyes like an infrared-guided bullet.  An emotional-interest bullet, of course; not the kind that kills people, for gosh sakes.

OK.  Where's all this going?

Simple.  One word.

Accountability.

The mainstream business world is slowly, inexorably moving from "get your name before the public" to "get some %*$#& dollars on our bottom line!" in the category of advertising.

Are you with the trend or are you against it?

Will you profit from the trend or will you reach for the Maalox?

For the direct-response-oriented copywriter, this is the day we have long waited for.  DR copywriters have in the past been the black sheep of the advertising flock.  People found what we did necessary, but embarrassing.

And definitely not cool.

But that's changing, and it's changing at a rapid clip.

Soon will be the day when businesses of all types will want good Google ad campaigns (and Yahoo campaigns, and MSN campaigns, and accountable niche Web site campaigns), and copywriters who can deliver will be in high demand and...

... get this...

in high esteem.

So get to work on building up your Google AdWord skills.

Now, here's a recommended resource if you want to get ahead of the curve on using AdWords to make money by integrating what you write in 25-35-35 with what you write on the Web page itself:

"Landing Page Cash Machine" by my friend and colleague Mark Widawer.

It's quite good... the information can be quite lucrative to you... and with the money you'll save thanks to the current discount he's offering on an already seriously underpriced ebook, you can buy a Starbucks Gift Card for yourself.

You know, just in case the World Copywriting Newsletter doesn't do it for you one morning.

Please, hold your laughter.

Here's the link to Mark's ebook:

http://www.world-copywriting-institute.com/landing

Have a good and restful weekend.

Cheers,

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Comments

[Jim Van Wyck]

Dear David,

Are you psychic or what?

You wrote this on December 8th,
and on Dec 9th, Google introduced
new "quality assessment rules".

Starting today, Dec 9th,
the very cost of your advertisement,
will, in part,
be based on Google's assessment
of the Quality Score of your landing page for the google ads.

Man.... you nailed it!

Here's the anouncement,

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2005/12/new-addition-to-quality-score.html

Copywriters.... ignore this at your peril!

Jim Van Wyck

[David Garfinkel]

Jim:

Who me? Psychic?

(I knew you were going to say that.)

[Copywriter, Kevin Francis]

David,

Spot on about the "big picture" trends. There's already a big shake up of traditional media going on. Down here in Australia, the print media is losing control of classified ads (traditonally where they made their money) as specialist web services grab more of the ad spend.

Had to laugh at this article in the "Financial Times" - Ad-Men Will Pay To Cover Their Rears...

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fe48723c-68ed-11da-bd30-0000779e2340.html

The writer draws the wrong conclusion, IMHO, but another sign of what's going on.